The Madeira Schools Foundation is accepting applicants for the Ruth Slagle Crawford Scholarship, a $5,000 scholarship that is awarded annually to one Madeira High School graduate who is in need of financial assistance to pursue higher education.

The annual scholarship is part of a $100,000 gift to MSF from the Ruth Crawford Revocable Trust, for the purpose of establishing a scholarship fund in memory of Ruth's parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Slagle. Ruth Slagle Crawford was the oldest living alumni and staff member of Madeira Schools; she was two weeks shy of her 104th birthday when she passed away in 2010.

The trust specifies that the donation is "to be used for the purpose of giving financial assistance to students in attaining a college education who were unable to continue their education without such financial assistance." To that end, applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered:

? must be a graduate of Madeira High School;

? is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree at an accredited institution;

? has attended college for at least one year and has earned the equivalent of a year's worth of college credits;

? has financial need and is contributing to their college costs via employment and/or loans;

Scholarship application forms can be downloaded from the MSF website, www.madeiraschoolsfoundation.org, or picked up at the Madeira Schools Board of Education office. Applications must be received no later than Aug. 1 to be considered.